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Being a Premier League fan can be an up and down rollercoaster, depending on the team you support. If you have attended some Premier League games, then you know that some fans are crazier than others. Of course, I am not talking about Fulham fans as they are a rather quiet lot. Instead I think back to 2005 when the West Brom fans practically stormed the pitch. Now those are some crazy fans. And if you have ever seen a Hammers game, then you know that the West Ham fans can get pretty crazy when they break into singing “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” when the notion strikes them. Speaking of singing fans, who doesn’t love it when those crazy Liverpool fans break into song with “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Arsenal fans have had their crazy moments too, like when Emmanuel Adebayor did some celebrating in front of the Arsenal fans as Eastlands a few years ago. With that being said, I think the best and craziest fans in the entire Premier League have got to be Newcastle fans. There is nowhere they won’t travel to see the team play and they will do it shirtless in the freezing cold temperatures.

Seattle and Portland are separated by no more than a three hour drive up or down Interstate 5, depending on which city you reside. This close proximity has resulted in the cities two Major League Soccer teams, the Sounders and Timbers, becoming fierce and hated rivals. Saddled with pageantry and passion, these two teams have brought intensity to each of their respective cities. This has brought soccer into the national spotlight. There are many reasons that this rivalry helps American soccer. The rivalry between Seattle and Portland has brought the casual soccer fan to American Soccer for that specific game, as well as others throughout the league.

Attention in the National Media

In a game that was nationally televised in Seattle between the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake, Portland unveiled a billboard a mile from Seattle’s field that read,” Portland, OR and Soccer City U.S.A. ” This type of national exposure puts soccer on the proverbial map in the American consciousness. A recent study by the University of Michigan indicates that the “elusive” fan needs this plot centered, pro-tagonist, and antagonist scenario to make the sport more exciting.

Sense of Fans Active Role

Message boards and social forums are alive and buzzing year around, displaying a heated rivalry between fans of the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers that extends to the portals of the internet. Sounders fans boast of the success that their teams have had in comparison to the Timbers. The “Timber Army and “Emerald City Supporters” are in full swing as well when their teams host home games against the other. One fan was even assaulted at one of the games in one instance by the opposing group of fans. Finally, teams separate themselves by loyalty at each game, giving the pageant feel of a college type atmosphere